ntkonow



J. P. NIKONOW.

STARTING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

nymcmon min 001. I5. lsu.

1,318,795. Patented Oct. 14,1919,

WITNESSES; I INVENTOR n M .{dfiflP/V/J 0170 %L AT TORNEY To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. NIKONOW, 0F WILKINSBUBG, PENNSYLVANIA, ABSIGHOR '10 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION 01! PENNSYLVANIA.

STARTING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Be it known that I, Joan P. Nmonow, a subject of the Gear of Russia, and a resident of Wilkinsbur in the county of Allegheny and State 0 Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Starting Systems for Automobiles, of which the following is a iecification.

My invention re ates to startin systems for auton'iobiles, and it has particu ar reference to such systems as embody motors that havelongitudinally movable armature; for controlling the engagement of coacting gear wheels.

My invention has for its object to provide a motor of the character indicated above.-

wliich possesses the characteristics of ex erting a low torque in the displaced position of the armature and a strong magnetic force to return the armature to its central position.

Motors having displaced armatures have been proposed heretofore but they possess certain disadvantages in that they require the we of auxiliary switching mechanisms and resistors to prevent rotation of the armatures until the gear wheels are in mesh. This zu'rangci'nent is necessary because, in the displaced position of the armature, the torque is sullicicntly high to rotate the armature at a comparatively high rate of speed before the gear wheels are completely meshed. It is also difficult to effect the i'neshing of the gear wheels when there is considerable lateral pressure between their teeth. hen the switcl'iing mechanism above. described is'cmploycd, little or no current traverses the armature winding to produce a torque for rotating the armature, and the gear wheels may bereadily meshed because there is little or no later-a. pressure between the enacting teeth to retard their relative slidablc movements.

1 provide an electric motor by means of which the results above described are accon'iplished. without the employment of auxiliary switching mechanism or resistors.

In the preferred form of. my invention, the motor is provided with two sets of brushes displaced from each other by up roximately 9O electrical degrees: An auxi iary set of brushes engages the commutator cylinder in its displaced position. and the main or working brushes are in contact with the com mutator cylinder in the central position of the armature. Since the auxiliary brushes are displaced by approximate] 90 from the neutral axis of the motor, t c direction of current through substantiall armature coils is reversed. '1 he result is that the magnetic force produced by the armature coi flux to produce rotation of the armature tends to rotate the armature in both directions with substantially equal and opposite forces. Accordingly, when the motor circult is closed, the armature'does not rotate. In practice, however, the brushes are so arranged that a very small torque is produced in order to facilitate the meshing of the gear wheels. In a modified form of my invention, the circuits throu h the respective sets of brushes are contro led by an automatic switching mechanism that is controlled in accordance with the position of the armature.

Thedetails of my invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawip in which Figure 1 is a side view, partla ly in elevation and partially in section, of a dynamo-electric machine constructed in accordance with my invention and a pair of coacting gear wheels. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of circuits and aparatusembodying my invention. Fig. 3 IS a diagrammatic view of circuits and apparatus embodying a modification.

A motor 1 has a field ma net frame 2 which is secured to any sui-ta le stationary part of the automobile (not shown). The motor has anyconvenient number of poles which are provided with series field windings 3. The rotatable portion of the motor comprises an armature 4, a commutator cylinder 5, and sleeves 6 and 7 of insulating material which are disposed at the respec tive ends of the commutator cylinder 5.

The diameter of the insulating sleeves 6 and? is equal to that of the commutator cylinder 5 so that these members present a continuous surface along the axis of the shaft. A pair of auxiliary brushes 8, which engage the commutator cylinder in the displaced position of the armature, are supported by brush holders 9 that are secured to an end bell of the motor. A pair of s which reacts upon the field ture winding and coil 31, which normally assist each othor to control the position 0 a-movable armature member 32-. A contact member 33, which is mounted upon, and connected to, the armathat it is desired to start the engine, the operator .closes the switch 27 to complete the circuit of the magnet coil 26. The switch 25 then closes to com lets the motor circuit which extends from t e battery through the switch 25, series field winding '3, switch member 35, auxiliary brushes 8 and armaswitch member 36 to the opposite side-of the battery. As in the arrangement. above described in connection with Figs. 1 and- 2, the armature will be moved longitudinally by astrong magnetic force but will be rotated by a very low torque. When the pinion 15 is in mesh with the gear teeth 16, the switch mechanism 24 will be movedto the left, as shown, to complete the motor circuit through the main brushes 10 and to break the circuit of the auxiliary brushes 8. The normal torque is then applied to the pinion 15 to rotate the en 'ne fly wheel 17. V

- en the engine starts under its own power, the operator releases the switch 27 to open the circuit of the magnet coil 26, and the switch 25 opens the motor circuit. The

spring 13 then returns the armature to its.

displaced position, with the pinion 25 out of engagement with the gear w eel 16.

If the operator fails to release the switch 27 at the proper time, the motor circuit will be opened automatically. The nerator 28, which'is connected to the engine shaft in any suitable manner (not shown), is operated at an increase in speed. When the electromotive force of the generator reaches a predetermined value, the coils 30 and 31of the cut-out 29 are energized to draw. the

armature member 32 downwardly to effect the engagement of the contact members 33' and 34.7 Both terminals of the magnet coil 26 are then grounded and-the coil is defincrgized, thus permitting the switch 25 to open. The operation of the cut-out also closes the charging circuit of the battery which extends from the positive terminal of the generator, through a series field winding 37, series coil 30, conttlct members 34 and-33, armature 32 to ground, and thence through the battery, the positive terminal of which is grounded to thenegative terminal of the generator.

I provide a starting motor which operates automatically to efi'eot the operative connection of its rotating "part to the engine shaft of an automobile and t2) rotatethe latter after the connection has been established. I provide also means for automatically disengagthevarious parts occupy their respective illustrated positions and-- log the enacting gear wheels which connect the motor to, the engine when the engine starts under its own power. These and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains.

My invention may be modified in various ways, and it is understood that such changes may be 'made, without departing from t e spirit of my invention, as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: f 1. In a atartl system, the combination .with a dynamo-e ectric machine having a longitudinally movable armature, of means for supplying current to the armature at points varying in angular relation thereto in accordance with its longitudinal position,- said means comprising auxiliary brushes that are angularly displaced from the main brushes.

2. In a starting system, the combination with a dynamo-electric machine having a longitudinally movable armature, of -means for supplying current to the armature at points.varying in angular relation thereto in accordance with its longitudinal position, said means comprising auxiliary brushes that are angularly and longitudinally dis-. placed from the inain brushes.

3. In a startin system, the combination with a dynamo-electric machine having a longitudinally movable armature, a pinion on the armature shaft, and a gear wheel for meshing with said pinion in one position of said armature, of means comprising auxiliary brushes for supplying current to the armature windings at points varying in angular relation thereto according to the relative positions of said pinion and said gear wheel.

4. In a startin system, the combination with a dynamo-e 'ectric machine having a longitudinally movable armature, a pinion on the armature shaft, and a gear wheel for meshing with said pinion in one position of said armature, of means for supplying current to the armature windings at points varyingin angular relation thereto according to the relative positions of said pinion and said gear wheelhsaid means comprising system, the combination varyinghin ang t torque of said armature in its displaced position, said means comprisin an auxiliary set of commutator brushes t at are angularly and longitudinally displaced from the.

main brushes.

7. In a starting system, the combination with an electric motor havin an armature that is longitudinally movab e from a central position, andtwo sets of commutator brushes, of a source of current and means comprising said, brushes for connecting said source. to the armature windings at points ular relation thereto accordin to e position of said armature.

In a starting system, the combination with an electric motor having an armature that is longitudinally movable from a central position, of a source of current, means comprising twosets of commutator brushes for connecting said source to the armature winding, and means for rendering one or the other of said sets of brushes inoperative according to the position of said armature.

9. In a starting system, the combination with an electric motor having an 'armaturc that is longitudinally movable from its normal position and having also main and auxiliary sets of commutator brushes, of means for rendering the main brushes inoperative when the armature is in its displaced position and for rendering the auxiliary ushes inoperative when the armature is in its normal position.

, 10. In a starting system, the combination with an electric motor havin an armature that is longitudinally mova le from its normal position and having also main and auxiliary sets of commutator brushes, of means for rendering the main brushes inoperative when the armature is in its displaced position and for rendering the auxiliary brushes inoperative when the armature is in its normal position, said meanscomprising a. pair of insulating members on the armature shaft.

11. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a dynamo having anarmature which is slidable endwise with respect to its field magnets, an internal combustion engine, a gear driven from saidv engine, a gear upon the armature shaft of said dynamo positioned to come into operative relation to said first gear as said armature slides, and

means adapted to lead current to the com-' mutator of said dynamo at one point to effect said sliding movement and subsequently to lead current thereto at another point to effect starting of the engine.

12. In a starti system, the combination with a dynamo-e ectric machine having a longitudinally movable armature, of means for supplying current to the armature at oints varying in angular relation thereto in accordance with the longitudinal position of said armature.

13. In a startin system, the combination with a dynamo-ell: longitudinally movable armature, a pinion on the armature shaft, and a gear wheel ooacting with said inion, of means for supplying current to t 1e armature winding atoints varying in angular relation thereto in accordance with the relative positions of said pinion and gear wheel.

14. In a starting system, the combination with an electric motor having an armature that is longitudinally movable from n central position, of means for decreasing .the torque of said armature in itsdispiaced position by supplying current to it at points angularly displaced from the points at which current is normally supplied.

15. In a starting system, the combination with a field magnet frame, and a longitudinally movable armature therein, of means for sup )lying current to said armature in its disp aced position at points angular-1y displaced from the points of normal supply.

16. In a startin system, the combination with a dynamo-eiiactric machine having a field-magnet winding and a longitudinally movable armature, of means for decreasing the torque of said armature in one of its positions by varying the angular relations of the magnetic fields produced by said fieldma net winding and said armature. r

1%. In a starting system, the combination with a pair of relatively movable members,

of means for controlling the operative connection of said members, said means comprising a dynamo-eiectric machine having a longitudinally shiftable armature and means for controlling the angular relations of the magnetic fields in said dynamo-electric machine.

18. In a starting system, the combination with a pair of'relativel'y movable members, of means for controlling the'operative connection of said members, said means c'omprising a dynamoelectric machine having a longitudinally shiftable armature and means for automatically controllin the angular relations of the ma etic elds of said dynamo-electric machine in accordance with the longitudinal position of said-armature.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2nd day of Oo- B. B. Hnvns, M. 0. MERZ.

ctrlc machine having a 

